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Taking a spin on the Gibbs Quadski: Personal amphibian is a blast by land or by sea

October 17, 2012

1 of 10Behold, the Gibbs Quadski. Deteriorating weather forced us to move testing from Lake St. Clair (visible in background) to a Gibbs facility in Oxford, Mich.

Photo by Graham Kozak

2 of 10From the front, the planing hull that allows the Gibbs Quadski to achieve a speed of 45 mph on the water is clearly visible.

Photo by Graham Kozak

3 of 10Once on the water, the wheels of the Quadski retract into the high wheel wells. The water jet that provides aquatic propulsion is visible at the rear of the vehicle.

Photo by Graham Kozak

4 of 10Gibbs personnel briefed us on the operation of the Quadski before turning us loose on the vehicles. Wise move.

Photo by Graham Kozak

5 of 10The Quadski handled confidently on rough, muddy trails and easily crushed puddles much larger than the one in this picture.

Photo by Graham Kozak

6 of 10On the water, the Quadski gets up on plane quickly. It doesn't carve like a jet ski, but it turns sharply enough to permit wake jumping.

Photo by Graham Kozak

7 of 10Despite the cold, it was tough to return to shore. That thing was fun!

Photo by Graham Kozak

8 of 10Retracting and deploying wheels is a process that takes around five seconds, quickly turning the Quadski from an ATV to a personal watercraft and then back again.

Photo by Graham Kozak

9 of 10With wheels down, taking the Quadski out of the water is as simple as locating the nearest beach and driving towards it.

Photo by Graham Kozak

10 of 10The instrument panel displays all the essentials, but it also includes a neat "land" and "water" mode indicator. Note that the speedometer on this vehicle was metric -- top speed was 45 mph, not 100 mph.

Photo by Graham Kozak

At times it seems that there is a vast and well-coordinated conspiracy against fun. Come up with something bold, unique and thrilling, and bureaucrats and regulators will come out of the woodwork to tell you why it is illegal.

The Aquada made quite a splash (apologies—the marine puns write themselves), proving that high-speed amphibian technology—which had previously eluded major automakers and military contractors alike—was finally within reach.

Unfortunately, the Aquada project foundered on the rocks of America's byzantine regulatory structure. Meeting the marine safety requirements of the Coast Guard, for example, was impossible if National Highway Traffic Safety Administration guidelines for road vehicles were adhered to. And so several dozen Aquadas sit, unsold and unsellable, in Gibbs garages.

But Gibbs didn't call it quits; instead, the company doubled its efforts, building a portfolio of roughly 300 patents and developing more than a half-dozen prototype vehicles.

It's motivated by a water-cooled, 175 hp BMW K1300 Motorrad motorcycle engine that powers the rear wheels and a compact, Gibbs-engineered water jet. A five-speed transmission with automated clutch requires the user to control shifting, although downshifting also occurs automatically as the vehicle slows.

Gibbs claims it is ready to put the Quadski into production at its Auburn Hills, Mich., factory. Initial production will total 1,000 vehicles, expected to retail for $40,000 each. It's a steep price, but Gibbs says cost will come down as production rises to meet demand.

The Great Lakes region isn't exactly amicable to jet ski testing when the first Quadskis arrive in showrooms in November, so fortunately, Gibbs gave us a chance to take one for a spin before they officially go on sale.

It wasn't a fair weather test – October in Michigan is far from balmy, and when I reached the Gibbs test facility, it was chilly, damp and blustery. Overcast skies promised rain, and muddy puddles lined the rutted trails that circled a frigid lake—in other words, the perfect conditions for putting the amphibian through its paces. After all, it would be hard not to come away beaming after a test on a perfect summer day. A truly fun vehicle should make one smile through chattering teeth.

Testing kicked off with a trail ride. Having never ridden an ATV, I had no idea what to expect from the 1,300 lb. Quadski. Still, the smooth ride and surprisingly compliant handling was reassuring. I managed to get soggier using the Quadski as an ATV than as a jet ski— plowing through puddles at speed was well worth getting blasted in the face with muddy water.

Following the wet, exhilarating spin on the trail, it was time to hit the lake.

Yeah, let that one sink in for a moment: off the trail, onto the water, all on the same vehicle. But the most bizarre part of the Quadski experience was not driving directly into a lake: it was how natural that transition felt.

Because the amphibian's jet propulsion system is always engaged, there's no difficulty getting into water deep enough to withdraw the wheels – a process initiated by the push of a button. Less than five seconds after I first felt the Quadski floating freely, the ATV had transformed into a PWC.

With a width of 5.2 ft, the Quadski is beamier than a typical jet ski. It's a stable craft that doesn't carve corners like a Sea-Doo, although it still turns tightly enough to permit wake-jumping. A top speed of 45 mph will make the Quadski feel sluggish to anyone accustomed to stand-alone personal watercraft, but the rapidity with which the amphibian got up on-plane was impressive.

After a few minutes zipping across the lake I was shivering but reluctant to head for shore—the Quadski's 15-gallon fuel tank permits nearly two hours of marine operation (precise fuel economy figures aren't yet available, but Gibbs also claims an on-land range of “hundreds of miles”).

Calling the Quadski “fun” would be a criminal understatement. But those who haven't tested it—and perhaps even some of those who have—will wonder what niche it is designed to fill.

It certainly isn't designed to placate powersports junkies demanding the most capable ATV and fastest jet ski. Instead, the Quadski seeks to provide a totally new experience—to obliterate the distinction between land and water, according to Gibbs Sports Amphibians founder Alan Gibbs.

Its ability to transition from earth to sea and back again makes it attractive to oceanside lifeguards and other emergency responders. Law enforcement and military agencies have expressed an interest in the vehicles as well.

Beyond that, the Quadski is an absolute blast to drive, and that ought to be justification enough for its existence. One can imagine the vehicle proving popular at beachfront resorts that rent both ATVs and jet skis. Why not rent one amphibian instead?

And picture a racing series that featured Quadskis tackling muddy trails and stretches of open water, a sort of single-vehicle biathlon.

I could go on. Part of the joy of the Quadski is coming up with off-the-wall things one could do with it—or other creative ways to employ its fast amphibian technology. Gibbs Sports Amphibians is dedicated to devising new applications for the tech as well, claiming that a reinvented, road-legal Aquada is in the works.

Before testing the Quadski, I had the opportunity to ask Alan Gibbs why he kept pushing the fast amphibian concept despite a decade of legal and regulatory setbacks.

“All of my mates play golf,” Gibbs explained. “I think this is better than golf.”

If more vehicles like the Quadski are the payoff for Gibbs' abstention from the links, it seems the time and effort will have been well worth it. Track a Quadski down and try it yourself, then see if you don't agree.

Perhaps fun triumphs in the end after all.

Graham Kozak
- Graham Kozak drove a 1951 Packard 200 sedan in high school because he wanted something that would be easy to find in a parking lot. He thinks all the things they're doing with fuel injection and seatbelts these days are pretty nifty too.
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